Among the many honors Boston calls its own is the world headquarters of the Christian Science Church. The Christian Science Center is an imposing office complex designed by I. M. Pi. Established in Boston by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879, the Christian Science Church Center is also home to one of the city's most fascinating and most visited attractions - the Mapparium, located within the Christian Science Publishing Society. A thirty-foot stained-glass globe room in lobby of the Christian Science Publishing Society gives one an "inside view" of the world. Standing on the thirty-foot glass bridge, which traverses the diameter of this large sphere, visitors can virtually be encompassed by the world. From pole to pole, you can journey through and explore the correct proportion and relationship of the earth"s land and water areas. The colors of each of the 608 stained-glass panels mark 1935 political divisions, land, and water and are brightly illuminated by some 300 lights. Viewing clocks arranged on the equatorial meridian allow you to check time changes throughout the world. A tour of the enormous room can be completed in under a half-hour, but most are so impressed they lose all track of time. The Mapparium offers these unique perspectives and more and is the only one of its kind in the world.